KINGSTON, R.I.- Nov. 21, 2001- The University of the Rhode Islands Coastal Institute will host the third meeting in a series of public forums on marine fisheries management on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held in Corless Auditorium of URIs Bay Campus in Narragansett. The event is free and open to the public.

This meeting will focus on the work of six subcommittees, comprised of fishers, dealers, scientists, and managers that have been actively developing and reviewing reform proposals over the past two months. The proposals address the restructuring of the state's commercial fishing licensing system, improved data collection and management, the establishment of a recreational fishing license, and the reform of laws and regulations governing aquaculture. The synthesis of these efforts is expected to result in a new framework for the long-term management of Rhode Island's marine fisheries.

"There has been a tremendous amount of work done in the last month. At this meeting well have a chance to identify and collectively discuss the common issues and the areas of disagreement that have emerged via the subcommittee process," said Peg Parker, senior fellow at the Coastal Institute.

The public forums are being held under the direction of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Fisheries Management, a nine-member group consisting of officials from the Governor's Office, the General Assembly, and the Department of Environmental Management. The final report will be issued to the Working Group by January 1, 2002.

The final forum on fisheries management will take place on Monday, Dec. 17, at which time a draft report will be presented. The information from this report will be incorporated into DEMs recommendations for the restructuring of fishing licenses, which will ultimately result in a bill submitted to the General Assembly in 2002.

For more information about the meetings or the project, call the URI Coastal Institute at 874-6513 or visit www.ci.uri.edu/projects/rifish.